Road joint base unit



R. R. ROBERTSON ROAD JOINT BASE UNIT Filed Jan. v4, 1934 Patented Dec. 4, 1934 1,982,695 Roan Jom'r BASE UNIT Robert a. Robertson, ohioogo, III., signor to The Translode Joint Company,

corporation of Illinois Chicago, lll., a

Application January 4, 1934, Serial No. 705,169

Claims.

This invention relates to a road Joint forming mechanism and more particularly to an improved type of expansion or contraction joint unit of theload distributing type including a base of plastic 5 material having partially embedded therein a plurality of reversed staggered load distributing shoes for supporting a core unit or the like in position to permit concrete to be poured to embed the plastic base and the load transmission shoes 1 0 together with the core unit which may be of a type `which is removable after the setting of the concrete or, if preferred, may be of a type which is allowed to remain in the concrete.

It is an object of this invention to provide an lo expansion joint holder and load distributor including a base of a plastic material in which the load transmission shoes of the device are partially embedded in reversed staggered relation with respect to one another to form a unit with the plastic base which may be shipped to a job and placed on a road sub-grade to temporarily receive and support a recess forming core unit which remains in position during the pouring of concrete and which, after the proper setting of the concrete, is adapted to be removed leaving a recess between adjacent concrete sections of the road.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a load transmission expansion `joint base unit 3o including a base section having a plastic material in which load transmission shoes are partially embedded to allow said shoes, after the base unit is embedded in concrete, to be shifted or moved with the expansion or contraction of adjacent concrete road sections due to temperature changes.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved type of an expansion joint forming mechanism includinga base of a plastic 40 material having load transmission shoes partlallyY` embedded therein with said plastic material and the shoes adapted to be constructed in required lengths at the factory and shipped to 1ocations to be supported on a road sub-grade to support void forming core units in position during the pouring of concrete.

It ls furthermore an object of this invention to provide an improved method of constructing base units for expansion joint formera, said method consisting of placing load transmission shoes in spaced reversed staggered relation in a base or mold and then pouring a plastic material into the base or mold to partially embed the load transmission shoes to form a base section of a desired length to permita core unit to be removably supported in the anchor shoes when the base section is shipped for use in a road job.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a road joint base unit consisting of a plurality of load transmission shoes which are disposed in reversed staggered relation with the base flanges of the anchoring shoes embedded in a base strip of plastic material having reinforcing members embedded therein, said plastic strip adapted to be furnished either with or without a metal base plate having curled margins for retaining the plastic material in place.r

It is furthermore an object of this inventionto provide an improved type of road joint base unit comprising a plurality of reversed staggered anchor shoes which temporarily support a false core which carries a plurality of spacing bars which are so placed thatthey separate the anchor shoes to hold `the same' properly spaced and permitting a plastic material, such as tarl or asphaltum, to be poured around the base flanges of the anchor shoes to form a plastic base strip which, when properly hardened, serves to hold the anchor shoes in proper spacedfrelation permitting the false core and the spacing members thereon to b e removed to allow the plastic base strip and the anchor shoes embedded therein to be shipped as a base unit to be placed on a. road sub-grade to support a removable core unit for the forming of a crack or recess between adja-4 85 cent sections of a. concrete road.

It is an important object of this invention to provide an improved method of providing a road joint base unit, said method including the placing of a plurality of anchor shoes in reversed staggered relation upon a base form, then inserting a false core unit between the anchor shoesV and holding the anchor shoes properly spaced with respect to one another by means of the spacers carried by the false core unit, then pouring a plastic material in the base form to embed the base flanges of the anchor shoes and reinforcing members disposed in the base form and finally, after the cooling or setting of the plastic material, removing the false core and the spacing members carried thereby, leaving a completed base unit, adapted to be shipped to a road'job for the reception of a removable core unit for the purpose of forming an expansion or contraction joint in the road.

It is another important object of this invention to provide an improved road joint base unit which may be completely formed in the factory; and then shipped to location and consisting of a base strip of reinforced plastic material having a 11o plurality of core supporting load transmission anchor shoes partially embedded therein in proper f spaced relation with respect to one another to' permit/the same to be'moved or shifted transversely of a road joint due to the expansion or contraction of adjacent concrete vsections ofthe road in which the base unit may be embedded.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying draw- The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the road joint base unitembodying the principles of this invention and showing the false core unit and spacers -for holding the anchor shoes in proper spaced relation.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on line II--II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to that illustrated in Figure 2 with the false ore unit removed and having a removable void forming core supported in position bythe anchor shoes.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view similar to that illustrated in Figure 3, but showing a modified form of the base unit in which the plastic base strip is provided without a metal base form.

As shown on the drawing:

The reference numeral 1 indicates a concrete road sub-grade upon which the crown section of a road is supported.. The crown section of the road is poured to embed improved expansion and contraction joint mechanisms which are supported transversely upon the road sub-grade.

In the present invention, an improved road' joint base unit is provided which may be assembled and formed into a base unit at the factory and then shipped in a desired length to a location to be supported on the road sub-grade to serve as a load transmission base for supporting a permanent or a removable void forming core unit according to road specications.

The present invention also includes animproved method of forming a road joint base unit with the aid of a removable false combination core and spacing device whereby the base unit, as hereinbefore mentioned, may be constructed in the factory instead of on the job.

The improved road joint base unit in the form illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, comprises a metal base plate 2 having the longitudinal margins thereof curled upwardly andinwardly to form curled retaining flanges 3. The base plate 2 together with its curled iianges 3 form a mold or holder which is provided in a desired length to extend from the center joint or center strip of the road to the side margin of the road requiring a length of approximately 10 ft. It is one of the objects of the invention to construct the road joint base unit at the factory and this method is accomplished by placing upon the top Asurface of the base plate 2 a plurality of load transmission anchor shoes or holder sections which are arranged longitudinally in offset or spect to one' another trated in Figure 1. Each staggered relation with respect to one another along the longitudinal center line of the base mold. The anchor shoes are of identical construction with adjacent. shoes reversed with reand spaced apart as illusof the anchor shoes is Lacasse' A constructed of .metal and comprises a foot or base flange 4 and lan upright ange or web 5. The upper margin of the web 5 is cut inwardly from each side edge and the material resulting from said cuts is bent outwardly at substantially right angles to provide a pair of anchoring blades or wings 6. The anchoring blades 6 project outwardly from one side of the web 5 leaving the opposite or inner side of the web fiat. l

Heretofore it has been the practice of providing a separate base and a plurality of load transmission anchor shoes which have been shipped separately and assembled on a job to provide a suitable support for the reception of a recess or void forming core unit. In the present invention, the base member and the anchor shoes are assembled as a base unit by the following method which consists of placing. the anchor shoes in reversed staggered relation upon the top surface of the base plate 2 and then inserting between the staggered upright webs or iianges 5 of the anchor shoes a false or temporary hollow core unit 7 consisting of a pair of spaced plates which carry a plurality of spacing bars or blocks 8 which are spaced apart a distance corresponding to the length of the anchor shoes. Attention is called to the fact that the spacing bars 8 are positioned a short distance above the lower edges of the core plates so that the side edges of the anchor shoes are positioned to contact opposite edges of the spacing bars 8 thereby holding the anchor shoes properly spaced apart in lreversed staggered relation as clearly illustrated in Figure 1.

With the anchoring shoes disposed in proper spaced relation upon the base plate or holder, a plastic material in liquid form, such as tar or asphaltum, is poured into the base mold to embed the base anges 4 of the anchor shoes in addition to embedding reinforcing Wires or rods 9 which, in the present showing, are disposed longitudinally within the base mold. The liquid material poured into the base mold has the top surface thereof disposed substantially in the plane of the top surfaces of the base flanges 4 of the anchor shoes.` The liquefied plastic material is permitted to set or partially harden to a degree sumcient to hold the' anchor shoes locked or secured in proper position to complete. the forming of the base unit.,

After the forming of the base unit as dcscribed, the false core 'l together with the spacing bars 8 forming a part thereof is lifted out of the base unit.

The completed base unit of the required length is now adapted to be shipped to a location to be placed upon the sub-grade 1 of a road under construction in a position where it is desired to provide an expansion or contraction joint. With the completed base unit in position on the `sub-grade as illustrated in Figure 3, a hollow void or recess forming core unit 10 is removably inserted in the space provided between the staggered anchor shoes ready to permit the pouring of concrete to form the upper or crown section of the road to embed the base unit and the core unit supported thereby. It will be understood that after the concrete forming the upper section ,of the road has set sufficiently, the core unit 10 is removed to leave a crack or void between adjacent sections of the road. 'I'he upper end of the void may be closed with a plastic material similar to the arrangement illustrated and described in my copending application for patent entitled Road joint mechanism with void forming unit", led November 17, 1933, U. S. Serial No. 698,437.

The plastic base filler 11 not only serves to hold the anchor shoes properly disposed in position with adjacent shoes having the anchor blades or wings 6 thereof embedded in adjacent sections of the concrete road, but also serves as a medium permitting the shoes to be transversely shifted in the base mold either inwardly or outwardly with the expansion or contraction of the concrete road sections brought about by temperature changes.

Figure 4 illustrates a modified form of road joint base unit in which the base metal mold is omitted using only a plastic base 12 having reinforcing wires or rods 13 embedded therein. In this form of the device, the anchor shoes are placed in a temporary mold at the factory and are held in spaced separated relation by means' of the false removable core 7 in which the spacing bars 8 serve to hold the staggered reversed anchor shoes in proper position. The plastic material is then poured into the base mold to form a plastic base 12 which embeds the base flanges 4 of the anchor shoes as well as the reinforcing members 13. After the plastic material has set or partially hardened to grip and hold the anchor shoes in position, the base unit is removed from the mold ready to be shipped for use on a road construction job. When the improved modied formA of base unit is placed on a road sub-grade l, agroove or recess forming core unit 14 is removably supported in position by the staggered anchor shoes ready to permit the concrete to be poured to emb ed the base unit and the removable core 14.

It will thus be noted that an improved method has been devised for forming a road joint base unit including a plastic base orv filler in which the load transmission anchor shoes are partially embedded at the factory permitting complete base units of desired lengths to be shipped to a road job ready for the reception of removable or permanent core units. The method includes the use of the removable or false core with the spacing bars. It will, of course, be understood that base units with reinforced plastic base strips may be formed on the job if desired, where the necessary equipment is available, after which the base unit may be placed on the `sub-grade and a core unit removably engaged therein to permit an expansion or contraction joint to be formed between adjacent sections of a concrete road or similar construction.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise thannecessitated by the scope of the appended claims. 4

I claimv as my invention:

1. A road joint former and load `distributor comprising a plastic base, a plurality of anchor means partially embedded in the plastic base and held in spaced relation thereby, and a void forming core unit removably supported by the anchoring means.

2. A road joint former and load distributor comprising in combination, a base strip of plastic material and a plurality of anchor shoes partially embedded therein to form a base unit for the road joint former. 1

3. In a road joint forming device, the combination with a reinforced strip of plastic material of a plurality of anchor shoes having parts thereof embedded in the plastic material to hold the anchor shoes properly positioned for the reception of a void forming core.

4. A road joint base unit comprising a plurality of staggered anchor shoes and a base strip of a plastic material for partially embedding the anchor shoes.

5.- A road joint base unit comprising a base section, a plurality of anchor shoes arranged in reversed staggered relation on the base section, and a plastic filler engaged in the base section and surrounding portions of the anchor shoes to hold the same in proper spaced relation with respect to` one another.

6. A road joint base unit comprising a base section, a plurality of anchor shoes supported therein in reversed staggered relation with respect to one another, a plastic ller deposited in the base section and partially embedding the anchor shoes, and reinforcing means embedded in the plastic filler.v

7. A road joint base unit comprising a plurality of reversed staggered anchor members, a base of plastic material surrounding portions of the anchor members and holding the same in spaced relation with respectto one another, and reinforcing means embedded in the base for strengthening the same.

8. A road joint base unit for use in removably supporting avoid forming core in position, said base unit comprising a plastic base strip, angle members partially embedded therein and positioned in reversed staggered relation with respect to one another to provide a support forf the core, and anchor means formed on the angle members whereby adjacent angle members may be anchored to adjacent sections of a concrete construction.

9.l A road joint forming mechanism comprising a plurality of anchor members, a base of plastic material partially embedding the anchor members and holding the same in spaced reversed staggered relation with respect to one another and a core unit supported by the anchor members and a base of plastic material for partially embedding the anchor members and holding the same spaced with respect to one another when the core unit and the spacing members thereof are removed from engagement with the anchor members.

11. A road joint former and load distributor comprising in combination, a plurality of reversed staggered supporting means, a spacer engaged therewith for temporarily holding the supporting means in proper spaced relation with respect to one another, a reinforced base of plastic material partially embeddingthe supporting means for normally holding the supporting means secured in spaced relation therein, and a void forming core unit for engagement between the supporting means when the spacer is removed.

- 12. A road jointformer and load distributor porting means when the spacer is removed after the supporting means are secured in position by the plastic filler.4

13. The method of constructing a road joint base unit consisting of inserting a spacer between a plurality of load transmission anchor shoes arranged in reversed staggered relation with respect to one another and then pouring a plastic material in liquid form around the base portion of the anchor shoes and allowing the plastic material to partially solidify and then remove the spacing means and substitute in place thereof a. void forming core unit.

14. The method of providing a road joint base unit consisting of placing reinforcing members and a plurality of load transmission anchor shoes in spaced relation within a mold, engaging a spacer between the anchor shoes for temporarily holding the same in spaced relation with respect 'to one another, and then pouring a plastic material in the mold to embed the reinforcing members and partially eisbed the bases of the anchor shoes and fill in the spaces between said bases, and finally remove the spacer from engagement with the anchor shoes and remove the completed base unit from the mold for shipment, as a unit, to a road construction job.

15. The method of producing a road joint base unit consisting of temporarily engaging al spacer between a plurality of load transmission anchor shoes to hold the same properly spaced with respect to one another and then pouring a plastic material to partially embed sections of the anchor shoes to hold the same in spaced separated relation when the spacer is removed from engagement with the anchor shoes after the plastic material has partially solidified to form a base strip which will give sufficiently to permit the anchor shoes to be shifted therein when the base unit is embedded in concrete and the concrete sections are expanded or contracted due to temperature changes. .l l

ROBERT R. ROBERTSON. 

